Brenten Hall and Kaden Profili are starting off their new partnership in 2024 with a chance at $1 million after winning The American Contender Finals in Abilene, Texas, Feb. 10, to secure their spot in The American.
Their 4.18-second run in Abilene was worth $15,000 a man, and they’ll continue their $1 million journey March 9, in Globe Life Field. Hall has seen the bright lights of The American enough times to be more excited than nervous.
“It hasn’t went my way in the past,” Hall, 24, said with a laugh. “Truly, just being able to go the few times I’ve gotten to, I’ve put it up on that pedestal enough now that it’s one of those things where I actually am not nervous, or it doesn’t seem like that big of a deal because I almost go into it with not much expectation. If it happens to be the year that it works, I’m going to be happy.”
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The run in Abilene was almost as cut-throat as The American, and Profili, the 2023 Resistol Rookie of the Year Heeler, wasn’t letting it get the best of him.
“For me, the game plan was just to make the best run that I could,” Profili, 21, said. “I wanted to take the best shot that I could and see where the chips fell and how it ended up.”
Hall and Profili’s road to The American
Hall and Profili started roping together after a conversation in Wickenburg. Everyone in Profili’s corner told him how great the opportunity was and, after practicing together in Stephenville, they made it official.
The team started their journey to The American in Oklahoma City at the Central Regional Finals but didn’t have any luck. Their last chance at the Contender Finals was in Lexington, Kentucky, at the East Regional Finals where they had to go through the buyback round. They finished fifth overall, punching their tickets to Abilene.
“The steer was a little bit stronger—we’d actually ran him in the buybacks, too, and he was a little bit stronger, pushed off to the right and didn’t really take a haze,” Hall said. “I even missed the barrier a little bit and then took him a little further than I needed to. Kaden did a really good job, and he heeled him fast.”
Abilene was the final stop in keeping their $1-million dream alive. It was a one-header with only five teams advancing to Arlington, meaning the only option was to be fast.
“I just assumed with 15 guys, as good as they were there, we were going to have to make as good of a run as we could possibly make, no matter when we were up,” Hall said. “Eighth out was a good spot; I got to see the barrier a little bit, kind of saw the momentum and seen where it was headed with the runs people were making.”
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Hall and Profili didn’t know much about their steer, but they capitalized on him regardless, stopping the clock in a winning 4.18 seconds.
“We ended up having a great steer,” Profili explained. “He was straight, ran probably medium. Brenten did a great job heading him, and he set him up for me to heel pretty fast. He made my job easy, and that was good.”
Hall and Profili’s Contender Finals horsepower
On the heel side, Profili rode his 7-year-old mare Grace. Hall, on the other hand, had the opportunity of a lifetime getting to ride Clay Deen’s Chief Quanah Parker. “Chief” was ridden by two-time World Champion Clay Smith on the ProRodeo road in 2023, adding $94,174 to the 18-year-old gelding’s QData earnings. Hall’s good roan mare has been out due to soundness issues, and the opportunity with Chief presented itself.
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“That was that was our first time together, but I had a real good feeling that it was going to go good,” Hall said. “He was easy. Strong to the horn and real upright as he runs—he doesn’t drop his shoulders or anything like that. He scored outstanding. I was grateful for the opportunity and just super tickled that he had given me the chance to try him and see how we got along.”
Hall and Profili will rope next the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo while getting their mind right for the $1-million night in Arlington.
“There might be a little nerves, but I think once I back in there and go after it, it’ll just be like running another steer,” Profili said.
